


The Drag of Fate

by LanternWisp



Series: Nests and Cages [3]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Batfamily Feels, Brother-Sister Relationships, Family Drama, Gen, Irish Twins, Jason is Lady Shiva's son, Promptfic, jason and cass are siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-16
Updated: 2017-05-16
Packaged: 2018-11-01 09:21:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10918929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LanternWisp/pseuds/LanternWisp
Summary: The matter of Jason's maternity was a closed case settled 6 years ago and paid for with his life. Then an overdue blood scan reveals he shares 25% of his DNA with Cassandra Cain.The last time he went on a journey to investigate his parentage, it ended with his death. This time he’s not doing it alone.





	The Drag of Fate

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lysical](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lysical/gifts).



> "Fate leads the willing and drags the reluctant" - proverb
> 
> Noun, Irish Twin(s): siblings born within the same calendar year, or less than 12 months apart.

 

_‘New addition to Wayne household spotted at Port Adams Boardwalk.’_

The words mocked Jason from his newsfeed, heading an article littered with shots of him and Stephanie getting hot dogs and bickering over a sheaf of real estate listings.

Right now the best thing about Wayne Manor was the high, wrought iron fence surrounding its acres of estate. A man could make himself a proper recluse in this house, even with reporters circling like vultures. Unfortunately Jason wasn’t any more enthusiastic about the company found _within_ the property line. Hence the desperate hunt for a new apartment.

“I literally deserve anything but this.”

Jason sighed and slid his phone into his back pocket. The list of rumors circulating about him so far included: being the secret bastard of multi-billionaire Bruce Wayne and LexCorp CEO Talia Head, being a richboy addict who’d been in Crime Alley looking for drugs the night of the orphanage fire, and now having a secret girlfriend from the wrong side of the tracks.

It was like the media circus somehow knew that Jason had escaped them for all these years and were now making up for lost time.

“I’ve been ‘strongly encouraged’ to not move into anything further north than the Fashion District,” Jason said. “Which is a total joke. There’s no way I’m spending the rest of my days living out of safe houses and ducking cameras like a third mistress just so nobody sees me in ‘disreputable neighborhoods’.”

Terry gurgled in response, blue eyes staring absently at a random point in the ceiling.

“Guess I shouldn’t complain, huh?” Jason gently examined the mostly-healed burns on the drowsy baby’s arms. “There’s a way bigger storm coming for you, little guy.”

Bruce hadn’t yet revealed his real new acquisition to the press. Hell, he hadn’t even admitted to the rest of them that Terry was here to stay. Knowing him, the purchase of an entire wardrobe of cashmere hoodie-footies was meant to be his unspoken declaration, along with the nursery’s steady transition from ‘makeshift’ to ‘overstocked Babies R Us’. The spare room had become awash in pastel hues, filled with an assortment of new or hand-me-down toys and furnishings. Jason was counting down the seconds before some treasured Wayne Family blankie made an appearance, because once it did, it was over. The only way to make it more final was to start designing a future vigilante suit.

“I’m gonna buy you a Superman onesie next time I go out. See what the press thinks about that.” Jason turned slightly to call over his shoulder. “And are you going to say something, or just stand there in the doorway like some kind of horror film ghost child?”

There was an angry little scoff.

“This is my home, Todd. You’re the interloper here,” Damian said, his voice heavy with disdain.

Ever since Jason’s return to the manor Damian had been haunting the shadows, shooting him and the baby equal shares of dark looks.

“Yeah well I’m heading out as quick I can, make no mistake,” Jason said, laying Terry down in the crib.

“From where I’m standing it looks like you’ve been making yourself rather comfortable.”

“That’s not what I’m doing and you know it.”

Cracking open the crypt that’d been made of his old room and turning it upside down had been at the top of Jason’s agenda. He’d always needed some kind of project when he felt restless, and being trapped in the manor by injuries and paparazzi wasn’t exactly soothing. He had emptied his closet of the jeans and large sweaters his scrawny younger self had favored, then sorted through them to see what was fit for donation. He would have rearranged the furniture too, but that had been shut down pretty quick - the look on Dick’s face when he walked in on Jason trying to move the bed with a broken leg had been pretty priceless, though. 

“I’m not redecorating, I’m cleaning out what the old man should’ve years ago,” Jason said. “And speaking of, if you’re so bothered by recent events you can take it up with him.”

The intensity of Damian’s glower increased.

“That you think I could feel threatened by the likes of you speaks only of your delusions of self importance,” he said, his voice taking a slightly higher pitch. “Vale is a magpie of no virtue who is distracted by any cheap glimmer she can find - no one with brains nor sense could mistake us for relatives.”

“Uh huh. And Terry?”

Damian’s eye twitched.

“You know it’s kind of a tradition around here to not like it when ‘dad’ brings a new one home,” Jason said.

The boy made a noise like an irritated tea kettle. “Perhaps inferior sons like you or Drake had reason to feel alarm. If and when this… squalling creature sees fit to challenge me, I will be ready.”

For a long moment Jason just looked at him.

“Challenge. From the baby.”

Damian said nothing, only glaring at Terry with such intent that Jason was surprised the little guy didn’t sense it and start bawling. It had happened before.

“Okay you little gremlin, let’s try this.” Jason rubbed his temples. “How old are you now?”

Damian arched an eyebrow in a way that was nigh identical to his mother.

“You are well aware that I -“

“Great. Now things being what they are, this little dream of yours is not going to be coming true until you’re what - 25? At _earliest_?”

Damian huffed, arms crossed haughtily over his prep school sweater vest. “What is your point, Todd?”

Jason rolled his eyes and gestured at the sleeping infant. 

“The point is that by then, Terry’s gonna be barely starting puberty. Assuming he even does choose the vigilante life, he won’t be your goddamn competition, you spiteful imp. If anything, he’d be your future Robin.”

Damian’s eyes widened a fraction. “My…”

“So calm your tits and quit stalking the baby like a jealous cat. It’s freaking us out.” He herded Damian into the hallway with surprising ease, the kid staring blankly into the middle distance. “Unless there’s something you actually wanted.”

“Only to inform you that your presence was requested downstairs,” Damian said vacantly, mind elsewhere. “But I cannot imagine it was urgent, given you are still enfeebled.”

“Feeb- oh fuck off.” 

Jason was healed to the point that he didn’t need the crutches or cast anymore, but Bruce and Leslie both insisted he keep a brace on for another two weeks. It wasn’t that bad, slight limp aside.

“I trust you know where the elevator is, should you be incapable of navigating the stairs.”

He felt absolutely no shame flipping off a young boy. If there was some joy he could milk from this whole situation, it was that the little bastard was just as miserable about it as he was.

Jason still took the elevator down.

There was the familiar drop in temperature as the lift descended into the depths of the cave, along with an increase in humidity and the faint sound of flowing water getting progressively louder. The elevator slid to a stop and Jason pulled the grate open, his eyes taking a moment to adjust. In the idle hours of the day the lights in the Batcave were often dimmed and reduced to various key beams of spotlight, giving a vibe of uncomfortable stillness despite the rumble of the rivers and unseen rustling of sleeping bats. Jason still didn’t have trouble making his way, what with a considerable allocation of his muscle memory devoted to the cave’s layout.

Dick was easy enough to spot, pacing solemnly by the Batcomputer. He was equally unhindered by the shadows, disappearing from one patch of light only to reappear in another some distance away, his brow pinched in thought. The whole computer rig was in sleep mode, so it didn’t seem to be news from Bruce or the Watchtower that had him wound up. 

It took a little longer to notice Cass, lounging beside the terminal in a chair made for someone three times her size. Her expression was neutral, and not in an unfriendly or especially serious way.

“A little bird said you wanted to see me?" Jason asked after stopping a few respectable paces away.

Dick glanced at him and nodded absently, as if he were shoring up his thoughts.

“Thanks for coming down. How’s Terry?”

"Sleeping. So what’s up? Doesn’t look like anything’s on fire,” Jason said. “I better not have hobbled down here for nothing."

"No, it's. Well.” Dick rubbed the back of his neck like he did when feeling especially awkward. “You remember the blood draw we did last week? We needed to run some tests to make sure you could still receive transfusions normally -"

“And to check that Lazarus-crazy isn't contagious like a zombie plague, yeah. I remember," Jason said, hands propped expectantly on his hips. "So what's the verdict? You put it under the mic and saw a green glow?"

He wasn't sure if he'd be surprised or not. The whispers of the pit had grown quiet, only showing up in his dreams these days. Hopefully those too would fade eventually. 

"That's... no." Dick sighed. "You know that you and Cass are the same blood type, so we did a screen to compare you and check for transfusion compatibility. And we. Uh. Found something."

He looked to Cass, still reclining with her legs swinging several inches from the floor. She seemed completely at ease and unwilling to bail Dick out of whatever he was struggling to say.

He gave up and cleared his throat. “I re-did the test a dozen times over. With different equipment. It's all the same."

Jason was standing up a little straighter now, ignoring the twinge of pain in his leg. His eyes were darting between Dick and Cass, trying to rationalize the complete difference in their demeanors.

"Dick," he said warningly.

"We haven't called Bruce yet," Dick said in a way that was probably meant to be reassuring. "I thought you guys would want to be the first to know. But I'm - I _have_ to call him."

"By all means don't keep me in suspense," Jason said, folding his arms across his chest. "What is it.”

* * *

 

The GPS navigator was beeping, screaming at him to take notice of the speed limit. He grabbed and threw it into the back seat where it landed with a thud.

"You think I can't tell when you're avoiding me!?" 

Jason's hands were choking the wheel of a ’55 Chevy he'd stolen from Bruce's garage. No one had really tried to stop him.

"You'd better believe that I am _so_ not afraid to be the biggest pain in your ass. You may have dodged a fucking bullet by foisting Damian off before he hit puberty but you have not seen me at my worst, believe me! Call. Me. Back!”

He growled and lobbed his cell into the passenger’s side.

Twelve calls and nine messages later and her mailbox was full with still no response. It was official - Talia was stonewalling him. Whatever. He didn’t care if he had to break into her ritzy penthouse and camp out on the couch like an irate cat. She couldn’t avoid him forever.

Jason took a deep breath, counting the street lights as they passed along the highway. Calm down, Todd. Think like a bat, not a desperate kid. He was too old to be doing this again.

The facts were the same as they had been six years ago: He had an illegible birth certificate without a copy in Gotham's records because no one in City Hall gave a damn about Crime Alley papers. He had a woman who’d claimed to be his birth mother and known him by name. He had a dead father that he’d never really known.

But now he had a blood test, several blood tests, that said he shared about 25% of his DNA with Cassandra Cain. 

“I’ve got to be having the weirdest dream,” he said, counting down the miles to Metropolis.

He was hesitant to call it a nightmare outright. He’d had plenty of those, and they tended to go a little differently. Jason resisted the urge to bang his head against something and cracked the window instead, letting the cool air flow in. 

“That exit has an O’Shaughnessy’s,” a voice said next to his ear.

“ _Mother of fuck_ -!“

Cars honked like a flock of disturbed geese as the Chevy swerved without warning into the next lane, tires screeching as Jason dramatically slowed to avoid rear-ending a tanker truck. 

“You missed it.” Cass pouted, chin propped on the passenger’s seat. 

“How- you -“

“I guess we could go to a Big Belly,” she said, like it was some big concession.

“I _guess_ you could explain what the fuck you’re doing lurking in the backseat of my car like an axe murderer!” Jason snapped, trying to glare at her and watch the road at once.

“Not your car,” Cass said unrepentantly, climbing into the front and handing him his navigator. “You shouldn’t throw things in a moving vehicle.”

Jason took it numbly, mouth half open but lost for words.

“Nightwing wanted to chase you instead. I told him to wait. You owe me.”

“I owe you an ass kicking.” Jason snapped back. “And I should make you hitchhike home.”

Cass smiled sweetly, but Jason knew what being laughed at felt like.

 It was half an hour later and they were in a fast food parking lot, Cass stealing Jason’s sweet potato fries even though she’d _said_ she wanted the standard.

“You are going to see _her_.”

“Talia has to know something about this,” Jason said, staring out the windshield and into the dark. “It’s got to be a mistake. A trick or something. It’s just not possible.”

“Test says differently.”

“I went down this road before, okay? We found Shiva, we asked if she had any-“ Jason stopped at Cass’ arched brow. “Okay so she lied. That doesn’t mean she’s _mine._ Lady Shiva has no reason to have anything to do with my old man, alright? He was nobody. Same dime a dozen Gotham thug we beat up every night.” 

He wiped ketchup from his fingers. “And Sheila. How the hell would she have known Cain? And if she did, how did I end up… it doesn’t make sense.”

Cass hummed, folding easily into her seat and looking at him with inscrutable eyes. Jason willed himself not to anxiously shift under her gaze.

“It can’t be her. If it is… it means I went to Ethiopia for nothing.” Jason pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes. “And what reason would Sheila have to lie about that?”

The fact of the matter was that Jason didn’t know a damn thing about his parents, alleged or otherwise. His memory of Willis Todd was blurred and faded to just a pair of dark eyes and a smoky leather jacket. Jason had hated him for being in prison instead of home, hated him when he was home for fighting with mom, hated him for the parade of angry men she used to see until she got too sick and Jason had to pay the bills instead. Jason had feared him too, for his cold stare and rough voice and bruised knuckles and bad reputation… but this was all more towards the _idea_ of the man, as the man himself had been far too absent for anything more.

Then there was Sheila. Christ, what could he know about her? She’d told him she was a former med student who’d fled to England and left him behind… but she’d been an associate of the Joker’s, so clearly her word wasn’t worth much.

“How’d you slink in here, anyway?” Jason asked, edging away from darker thoughts. “No fully grown person should be able to stealth-fit back there.”

Cass shrugged, examining a sweet potato fry like she was trying to uncover its secrets. “I thought you’d take this car.”

“Oh really.”

“This is the one he painted for you. After you made fun of him for not having more colors.” Cass nibbled on the fry. “He said it made you laugh.”

Jason handed her the rest of his food, suddenly feeling less hungry.

One richman vice Bruce did retain was a love of cars, as if the long line of increasingly elaborate Batmobiles wasn’t indication enough. Jason was pretty sure that there were a few vehicles hidden away in the Wayne garage that no one was allowed to even look at, let alone touch. That Bruce would sacrifice a Bel Air’s original finish to the whims of a scrappy kid had blown Jason’s mind at the time.

“He said you liked green. But you don’t, anymore.”

“… Depends on the shade.”

“Hm.” Cass rolled up the greasy takeaway bag. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Jason repeated.

“We’ll go,” she said. “to Metropolis.”

“‘We’, huh?” Jason said. “Why is everyone obsessed with tracking and following me every goddamn place I go?”

“Because where you go there is gunfire and explosions. And then you getting injured.”

The low buzz of a phone warbled through the car. It wasn’t Jason’s.

“It’s him,” Cass said without looking.

“Of course it is. Are you going to get that?”

“No.”

They watched each other, not breaking eye contact as the phone continued its drone. Right up until Cass opened the back and took the battery out.

“Alright then.” Jason restarted the engine. “Make sure you didn’t get any grease on the interior unless you want to be disowned as well as benched when this is over.”

* * *

 

Jason had never liked Metropolis. Call it local pride, but the place didn’t sit right with him. From the smooth art deco lines of the buildings to the bright lights that rivaled the gleam of day, everything was a marvel of silver and bronze and glass. Shiny and new, unhaunted by history or memory or blood shed in years prior. Pretty, fake and breakable. Not even the Suicide Slum could hold a candle to East End.

LexCorp Tower in particular was like some bizarre alternate of Wayne Tower. It was a tall, elegantly curved skyscraper, all glossy windows and polished steel; not the broad, high fortress of black marble that marked Old Gotham. Jason hated it instantly.

Security didn’t even blink at him as he strode through the glittering lobby with Cass in tow. The secretary greeted him with a bright smile, and wasn’t that unsettling on its own. Why did people in Metropolis have to _smile_ so much?

“Good afternoon. Do you have an appointment?”

“I need to see Talia Head.”

The secretary blinked, looking at him like she was actually focusing on his face this time. Jason watched her eyes widen a fraction and her posture straighten.

“Mister Head. I’m afraid that your m- aunt is unavailable,” she said.

“I really need to see her. It’s,” Jason felt his jaw tighten. “a family emergency.”

“Mr. Head,” An older, severe looking woman wearing a pantsuit and beaded eyeglass chains appeared over the secretary’s shoulder, making the poor girl jump. “We’ve been expecting you. The helicopter is ready and waiting to escort you to the airport.”

Jason glanced at Cass, who was staring a hole into the lady’s soul.

“Airport.” He repeated.

“Will Miss Wayne be accompanying you?” The woman asked tonelessly, completely nonreactive to Cass’ gaze.

“Yeah. We’ve also got our car outside -“

“It will be taken care of. Now, if you’ll follow me.” She turned without ceremony and strode towards a private elevator.

“Is this. Normal?” Cass asked as they cautiously tailed a few paces behind.

“It’s not _abnormal_.” Jason shrugged.

Talia making arrangements for him and expecting him to fall in line was standard enough. Flying him out to see her instead of just picking up the phone was a bit brusque even for her though. Had he pissed her off or something?

Cass huffed. “I don’t like it.”

“I’ll be sure to let her know.”

There were no answers waiting for them at the private airport, just another company official ushering them onto the small, but advanced LexCorp jet. Cass’ scowl hadn’t let up, giving everyone from the pilots to the flight attendant a thorough eyeballing as they lifted off. 

“I know it’s not ideal,” Jason said. “But seriously. It’s just Talia.”

She raised an eyebrow at him.

“Okay, point taken. But you don’t know her like I do.”

Cass snorted.

“I’m serious. I’m not going to say she’s a good person, but she’s not much worse than I am.”

“She is League.”

“She’s… loyal to her family.”

“And do you think she considers you family?”

They looked at each other a long moment. Cass was sitting across from him with one foot carelessly propped on the upholstery of her chair. Jason could read her reading him, her eyes sharp and all-seeing. 

“I think I’m close.”

“But not her son. Not like Damian.”

“No.” Jason uncrossed his arms, even though it went against instinct to keep his chest guarded. “That’s not why I’m doing this. I’m not looking for anything but answers.”

Cass nodded slowly, her gaze unwavering. “I looked for answers once. I did not like what I found.”

“But you don’t regret it.”

“I needed to know the truth. About me. And what I am.” Cass relaxed her own posture, planting both feet on the floor. “It was very important at the time.”

“So we understand each other.”

“We do.”

“Good.” Jason turned to the window.

“… But,”

He sighed internally. Of course.

“There is the matter. Of Him.”

Jason pointedly drummed his fingers on the armrest. “What about him.”

“Dick will have called the Watchtower by now.”

“Imagine so.”

“He will worry.”

“His feelings are not exactly the height of my concerns right now.” Jason flagged over the flight attendant. “Excuse me, how soon are we landing?”

“We will be touching down in Kunming International in about sixteen hours, Mr. Head.”

“Kunming. In China.” 

“Yes sir.”

Jason could feel a literal heat emanating from Cass’ glare as the attendant walked away.

“She must be doing some work over there for the company.”

“Or her father.”

“Maybe.” Jason gave a shrug. “This bit _is_ actually normal. She used to have me shuttled all over, sometimes without even telling me where I was going. Wasn’t even by fancy jet back then, it was usually in smuggling carriers because her dad was still pissed about me.”

Cass somehow looked even less convinced.

“You know you don’t have to stay,” Jason said. “We could find a place to touch down and Bruce will have you picked up within the hour.”

She shook her head without hesitation. “We do this together.”

“ _Why_?”

“Our family. Our business,” she said firmly.

Jason frowned as examined her face, the serious gleam of her eyes and the resolute set of her mouth. He scoffed and flopped back in his seat.

“You’re just curious about how the hell this happened.”

“That too.” And with that, she began fiddling with the in-flight entertainment system.

 It was about halfway through the flight when Jason’s anxiety took hold. 

Even with LexCorp’s fancy planes, getting to the other side of the world took hours that were like _days_ in Batman time. Jason had kept looking out the window, much to Cass’ amusement, expecting to see a sleek black jet looming from the clouds beside them. It was a familiar tingle in his gut, the one he’d get every time his younger self had dared defy Batman’s rules. 

Sneaking away to guest work with the Titans. Going out as Robin on a school night. Briefly leaving school during lunch to stealth purchase some candy across the street. Each tiny transgression leaving him convinced that this time would be the one where he turned to see Bruce frowning over his shoulder.

His transgressions weren’t so tiny these days.

But this was Talia. She knew how to work Bruce. As far as he knew Jason and Cass were interrogating her in some secure lower level of the Tower. Not even Batman would attempt to storm the bowels of LexCorp, at least not for a little longer. 

The plane eventually did land without incident, the attendant assuring them that they would be available when it was time to leave. 

The rental car that was waiting for them on the tarmac had coordinates already punched into the GPS. Jason took a moment to stare - the destination marker was placed smack dab in the center of a thick swath of jungle near the border of China and Burma.

“Unless the League has a secret villa located in the middle of backasswards nowhere, and I’m not saying they wouldn’t, I don’t think we’re going to see Talia.”

Cass shook her head thoughtfully as she sidled into the passenger’s seat.

“No,” she said softly, eyes glowing from the screen. “It is not nowhere.”

“What are you talking about? There isn’t even a road registered on this map, it’s literally smack dab in the wild.”

“Black Canary told me of a place. A village, deep in the forest. It is controlled by the League,” Cass said. “Shiva’s village.”

* * *

 

It was as good as confirmation of where the 25% came from.

Jason hadn’t wanted to think about it without getting more facts. He’d been clinging to the mystery surrounding Sheila Haywood, the lack of familiarity he had with her and her full story. He was ready to believe she was secretly some kind mercenary before entertaining what was the most likely option.

Shiva had lied to him six years ago. He had already known that she’d lied to Batman about being _a_ mother. But now Jason had to live with knowing that she’d lied to him about being _his._

She had been the second option on the list. The last stop before he went looking for Sheila. Before he died.

Jason wasn’t going to lie and say he hadn’t… wanted things, from that journey. Wanted to find more than answers at the end of the search. But if Shiva had been honest and said ‘yes’, then gone on to say anything else - that he’d been a mistake, that she didn’t want him, that he’d wound up on the streets in Gotham for a reason - what would the truth have cost her? In comparison to what the lie had wound up costing him.

“It is obvious that you are not Cain’s son,” Cass said, socked feet on the dashboard as she doodled on a notepad.

“Really.”

“Yes. He is… lonely. Even if you were not raised like me, he would not have let you be lost. For his own sake.”

“Well I guess that’s preferable to-“ Jason shook his head. “You’re assuming I was lost at all. And not thrown out.”

Soft rain pattered on the windshield even though the sun was still out. The shift in weather was jarring - while Gotham was edging closer to another sharp, bitter winter, the air in Yunnan was thick and balmy. The drive was long, but the further they got from the city the less traffic there was to contend with. Left him a lot of time to think.

“I’m not saying I wanted Shiva to fucking _raise_ me, but I can’t help but wonder how much of the shit I went through in life is because she couldn’t be bothered to think of me at _all_.” He took a calming breath. “What else do you know about this village?”

“It is… not a nice place.”

“Figures.”

The towns outside the car had steadily begun to shrink. The one they were currently driving through consisted of only a couple dozen houses, some shop fronts, a gas station and a cemetery along a paved road. 

Cass nodded to an easel sign propped outside a small building. “Do you understand it?”

Jason gave a quick glance away from the road. He’d nearly run over two different stray dogs over the course of this trip.

“It’s a mechanic’s. My Mandarin’s decent but the further out we go the greater prevalence we’ll see of local dialects, and I’m a little rusty on those. You?”

“Learned some spoken words while I was in Hong Kong. But it’s… I have trouble.” Her grip tightened on her pen. “So you will listen. I will watch.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Jason said. “What’ve you got there, anyway?”

“Drawing.” Cass replied. “Sometimes I can’t make the words come. The names for things. So I doodle instead.”

“Like Pictionary. I dig it.”

“Mm.” She tapped the paper. “Me and Stephanie have been talking.”

“About?”

“She thinks you need a new…” Cass paused, probably trying to remember the exact word. “Look.”

Jason snorted.

“You and the girl who dressed as a purple Shy Guy from Mario have been critiquing my fashion decisions. Great. You know if you were looking for a tale of vestimentary horrors, I could easily point you in a better direction.”

“Yes. The others could not be trusted.” Cass held up the notepad. “I made sketches.”

Jason squinted, leaning in a little closer in an attempt to dissect the image. Cain’s training regiment clearly hadn’t included art class.

“… There is no force on heaven or earth or anything in-between that can make me wear a cape.”

Cass frowned and flipped through a few pages. 

“Cowl?”

“No! And for your information I haven’t even decided if I’m changing my look, okay?”

“But Red Hood is crime boss. Police hate you.”

“I hate police.”

“The helmet is not even reliable. You wear a bomb on your face.”

“Is was reliable enough to keep you from getting gassed.”

Cass pouted in her seat, the sound of furious pen strokes filling the car. 

“No glider wings either. They’re under the same category as capes.”

She made an angry noise over the crumpling of paper.

* * *

 

If the rental had not been an off-road vehicle, they would have wound up stranded in muddy ditch two miles after breaching the tree line. Fat droplets of rain were falling from the green fan of forest canopy overhead. They fell upon the moonroof as mud splashed and sprayed upon contract with their tires. The air was filled with the chattering and rustling of unseen birds and wildlife.

“We won’t have enough… “ Cass snapped her fingers. “Car… food. For the return.”

“Fuel,” Jason said. “And no, we won’t.”

The GPS pinged, alerting them that they were nearing their destination.

Cass slid her shoes back on. “You are still injured.”

“It’s sore, not broken anymore. And there’s no need to assume we’re getting in a fight here, okay?”

“You trust her very much,” she said coolly. “I do not.”

“That’s fair,” Jason said, because it really was. He knew it was killing her to rely on the machinations of Talia al Ghul.

“Stay close. I will protect you.”

Jason was caught between being amused, offended and flattered. “Oh yeah?”

“Yes.” The car jostled over a chunk of rotted log. “You know we are being watched.”

“Yup. So _you_ know if they wanted to take us out, they could.”

“Nn.”

They trundled to a halt at the end of the trail. Jason killed the engine and the loss of its rumble left a notable emptiness in the air.

“Hopefully it won’t take long to search for… whatever it is we’re meant to find here,” Jason said, climbing out and slinging his bag over his shoulder.

Cass followed suit, buckling the straps of her backpack. He could tell just by looking that it was light - just her costume and utility belt, probably.

“Stay close and-“ Both of them went rigidly alert at the sound of footsteps on soft earth.

Whatever Jason had been expecting, it was not an old woman dressed in plain local clothing. There wasn’t anything exceptional about her, except perhaps for the ease with which she navigated the mud and forest debris. Still Cassandra positioned herself in front of Jason.

“We’re here under the direction of Talia al Ghul,” Jason said, leaning around the smaller girl’s form.

“Yes. The Demon’s daughter alerted us to your arrival,” the old woman said, her voice clear and steady with an accent that was vague and clean.

Jason wasn’t one for judging old ladies, but upon closer inspection there was something about her that he couldn’t help but dislike. The dark glint of her eyes, the sharp corners of her smile… the overall way she moved, which was far too fluid for a woman her age.

“The One Who is All,” her gaze drifted from Cass to Jason. “And the spare. I understand you have come to learn your heritage.”

Jason and Cass exchanged a cautious look.

“That’s right,” she said.

“Very good.” The woman’s smile widened. “You will refer to me as your Grandmother.”

She led them to the edge of the clearing, which overlooked a steep drop. From the foot of the incline onward was a sprawl of shanty houses and huts.

“And this is a cradle of gods.”  

There was nothing particularly divine about the village, cobbled together from wood and canvas and corrugated metal. Most places owned by the League of Assassins reeked of decadence, pomp and ceremony. The Cradle was an image of 3rd world poverty.

As “Grandmother” led them through the dirt paths between homes, every person she passed averted their gaze. Some - scarred, muscular, mostly men - bowed their heads and called her Mother in greeting. 

Jason gave Cass a nudge before wordlessly nodding in the old woman’s direction. Cass’ frown deepened in response.

No verdict on whether this broad was really Shiva’s mother, but the hesitance told Jason that she had detected no lie either. Whether it was true or not, this woman believed her claim.

“So this is a training ground for the League?” Jason asked. “You produce fighters for Ra’s?”

“Some of our people answer that calling,” Grandmother said dismissively. “But this is a land that has seen centuries of strife. Whether it is fanatics or kings or war lords that declare claim, it makes no difference. Our power is our own and it has endured. _Will_ endure long after the Demon’s League has fallen to dust and history.”

They followed a thin, overgrown trail away from the village and further into the woods. Cass put a hand on Jason’s elbow to help him when the thick roots and dead leaves rippling across the path made his bad knee wobble. Finally they emerged from the dripping foliage to see the proud build of an ancient jungle temple, embraced on all sides by steep walls of rock and dangling vines.Even worn and dirtied by time, the shrine’s three-tiered roof glinted in the fading sun. The wide slab stairs leading up to it were cracked and overcome with moss, lined on both sides with stone idols Jason didn’t recognize.

“Former guardians whose spirits must now be placated,” Grandmother said, answering his unspoken question.

“Former Shivas.” Cass amended as she examined one of the statues.

“We do not speak that name here,” the elderly woman said sharply. “Not even you are worthy. Yet.”

“Hm.” Cass hummed as if she had not heard, taking Jason by the hand and pulling him up the slick steps.

“What’s inside?” Jason gestured at the shrine’s ornately painted doors.

“That is where the current vessel’s heir will be called upon to resonate with the destroyers that came before, and receive their blessing. Thousands of years worth of power and wisdom have been preserved in this sacred place. _You_ are not eligible. And she is not yet ready,” Grandmother said. “The vessel has only ever been female. Some girls of this region are born with talent, which we help them cultivate. But others can yet prove themselves.”

“Like Black Canary,” Cass said, delicately tracing the patterns carved along the arch of the temple doorway.

Grandmother inhaled sharply. “That is another name I will not hear.”

“Sin is her daughter now. They left,” Cass continued, ignoring Jason’s jostling of her hand in warning that aggravating the creepy jungle woman was probably unwise. “Like our mother and aunt left.”

The setting sun cast long shadows across the small stone court that preceded the temple doors.

“It is true. They abandoned their sacred duty and somehow smuggled themselves abroad. But my daughter returned. Once she freed herself from her shackles, she returned and accepted her birthright,” Grandmother said coldly. “I will leave you to ruminate on your ancestry, as the Demon’s daughter requested. Perhaps it will teach you some humility when faced with your elders.”

Jason waited until the woman had retreated into the trees.

“I don’t like her.”

“Yeah. Me neither.” Jason sighed. “So what do you think? A whole village dedicated to creating the world’s greatest assassin.”

In some countries, being killed by Shiva brought honor to your entire surviving family. He really shouldn’t have been surprised at the deification of her here.

“She is not our grandmother.”

“Probably not.”

“So Shiva’s parents…”

“We’ll probably never know who they were. Could be dead. Could have sold Shiva and her sister to the village,” Jason said, breathing in the dense forest air. “The League has their hooks in this place, but it's still an independent entity of sorts. Would explain the shift in aesthetic.”

“Aesthetic.”

“Appearances.” Jason elaborated.

“Oh.” Cass pulled away from the temple doors. “No money.”

“They could have funds hidden somewhere. Gran doesn’t strike me as an uneducated pauper.”

“They control the local militias. Even the factions at war with each other.”

“Exactly.”

“So. What now?” Cass asked.

Jason snorted. “What do you mean? Talia sent me here for answers and there it is: Shiva threw me away because men can’t inherit your ancient assassin legacy. The end.”

“Not the end!” Cass turned and grabbed Jason by the shoulders. “There’s more. There has to be. What about Sheila? She knew you. How?”

“I-“ He shrugged helplessly. “It doesn’t matter.”

“How did you end up in Gotham?”

“Why _not_ Gotham? It could just have easily have been anywhere else.”

“Even if you could not inherit, Shiva would not forget you. She would have watched. To see if you would someday be able to fulfill her death wish.” Cass cupped Jason’s face. “There is _more._ Think.”

“Talia -“

“She knows we’re here, they would have told. Has she called you?”

“No.”

Cass looked at him expectantly. 

“Because…” Jason swallowed. “because she wants me to stop here. She wants me to accept this and go home.”

Broken, angry, and resolved to never ask questions about this again.

“So we won’t. What do we look for next?”

Jason closed his eyes and tried clear his mind.

“I… I guess we would want to start with the missing pieces. How she got to Detroit. What links her to Gotham. The more of the picture we have, the better we can figure out the chain of connections that led her to my- to Willis Todd. How he fits into this is crucial.”

Cass nodded. “Then that is what we’ll do.”

The sky was stained dusky red when they descended the steps of the temple. Upon making their way back through the trees it was hard to ignore the deep quiet that had settled across the village. 

“Where is everyone?”

The houses they passed were too small and thinly built to hide their emptiness.

“Stay close.” Cass’ grip tightened. 

With his spare hand Jason extracted a sidearm from the bag on his shoulder. 

“Just rubber bullets, calm yourself.”

Even a shot to a nonlethal area could prove fatal in a place like this. He didn’t know how truly advanced the village was, but it wasn’t worth gambling on.

They continued on to the foremost border of the shanty town, and right away it was clear where all of its people had went. Most of the villagers were on the fringes, holding lanterns and torches in the fading light. Standing at the center of about two dozen broad-shouldered men was the alleged mother of Lady Shiva.

“Well,” Jason said as they halted on the edge of the group. “This is flattering and all, but you really didn’t need to see us off.”

“I have had many children,” Grandmother said, ignoring him completely. “Many children indeed. Some more talented or less grateful than others. Such is mother’s burden. When my pride and joy departed us I was disappointed but not surprised. Her sister made her soft. Hesitant to seize what was hers. Like a weight on her ankles. Only once it was shed could my daughter ascend to godhood.”

“Carolyn?” Cass’ eyes suddenly became cold. “You were going to kill her.”

“She was the spare. As your brother is your spare,” Grandmother said, unrepentant. “He is a serpent in your cradle. Only through his removal will you be free to reach your fullest potential, like your mother before you.” 

“Look, we only became blood like yester-“ Cass swatted him in the gut.

“The Destroyer _must_ have an heir,” Grandmother continued fiercely. “None of you know the gift you have been given. It is unacceptable.”

“I have heard enough.” Cass shed her backpack. “You. Are a hateful, awful… _hag._ And your gifts suck.”

“Damn,” Jason said, letting his own bag drop into the dirt. “Steph teaching you to banter?”

“Good?”

“Amazing.”

The warriors of the Cradle outnumbered them, and as they rushed forward Jason had to admit they weren’t bad. On par with or perhaps slightly better than the typical League ninja. They moved with more force, sacrificing grace and speed for strength and defense. Cass immediately positioned herself between Jason and the rest of the fray, her petite form felling men twice her size amidst the sounds of impact and breaking bones. She was also purposefully blocking him, placing herself as inconveniently as possible to keep him from immersing himself too far into the fight. 

“We are going to have a talk about this later,” Jason said, firing rubber ammunition into legs and shoulders after his attempts to engage physically proved pointless.

“You. Injured,” Cass said curtly, ramming her knee into the solar plexus of another attacker.

One of the men attempted to disarm the gun from Jason’s hand, only for the hold to be reversed as Jason’s forehead bashed into the bridge of his nose. An instant later Cass’ boot was laying the man flat.

“I literally had that!” 

Cass stuck her tongue out as she moved to dislocate the arm of another attacker.

Even surrounded by her fallen ‘children’, the old matron of the village did not flinch from them.

“This would have been a merciful end. With honor,” Grandmother said, head held high in defiance. “The One Who Is All is to claim a lineage older and more glorious than any king’s. You are heir to thieves and snakes; it is your destiny to die for her betterment.” 

“Yeah, yeah. Here’s how it is, you sour crone: you’re going to put the car food in our vehicle so we can get out of here,” Jason said.

“ _And_ you are going to tell us what happened to Lady Shiva and Carolyn after they left this place.” Cass added.

“Unless you want the location of your sacred cradle to redefine the word ‘compromised’.”

Against the dusty grey-pink sky, a ribbon of vesper bats were flying.

* * *

 

Kyoto, Japan. The dawn of a new day. Not even Talia could have kept Bruce at bay for so long.

“We need to make this real quick,” Jason said. “He’s going to be on our asses any minute now.” 

“Hm,” Cass murmured from the passenger seat.

“You’re the princess, what’s he gonna do to you? I once got grounded for drinking _coffee_. When I was _fourteen_.”

“ _Hmm_.”

“Nowadays he’s letting you guys run off to wherever you damn well please, but he’s never had any chill with me.” Jason warily eyed the paper she was drawing on. “Still?”

“You can have a helmet,” Cass said sagely, making two quick swipes with her pencil before turning the pad to him. “But. Bat ears.”

“Oh my god.”

Kyoto was awash in autumn colors, vibrant golds and lush reds dappling the forested hills. The estate of the dojo and adjunct temple was as far removed as one could get from the Cradle: bright, grand and welcoming. 

A middle aged man in black gi was waiting at the entranceway.

“If he claims to be our grandfather I swear,” Jason said as he killed the engine. 

“Maybe leave the car on.”

Jason snorted before climbing out.

“Sensei Okada. Thank you for seeing us personally,” he said, bowing politely. “We spoke on the phone with one of your students?”

“Yes, of course.” The man bowed back. “You have come for your mother’s effects.”

He offered Cass an old, worn box.

“I’m sorry that there is not much. Only the things kept by the Sensei himself were retained after Sandra and Carolyn Woosan’s departure.”

Jason opened the box in Cass’ arms. The first thing his hands found was a glossy black and white photograph. Pictured with an old man were three students kneeling on a dojo floor - a black man in his twenties, and a white boy and an asian girl in their older teens.

“Three of the Sensei’s last and most talented students,” Okada said with a nod. 

“No Carolyn?” Cass asked.

“This was taken after the tragedy, I’m afraid. The Sensei was very… distraught to hear of her passing.”

“Sh- our mother came back?” Jason asked, the words heavy and uncomfortable on his tongue. “After Carolyn.”

“For a time. Then I understand that she continued her education elsewhere, returning only when it was time to assist in the Sensei’s funeral arrangements.”

Cass bumped Jason with the box. 

“Jason. Words,” she said, craning her neck to see the underside of the photograph.

He flipped the picture over and took in the Japanese writing.

_“Bronze Tiger. Dragon. Paper Monkey._ ”

Cass inhaled sharply, her eyes bright. 

“I know where we go next.”

* * *

 

Jason didn’t dislike Detroit, really. Its look was nothing like the looming architecture back home and it lacked the same overall atmosphere, but there was a similar feeling to be found if you knew where to look: parts of the city that felt so old and weighed down with memory that they could crumble, or places where the graffiti was layered on an inch thick to dry in air rife with desperation. “At least we’re not Gotham” was recited like a proverb in the backstreets of Detroit. He liked that.

“You know the Bronze Tiger?” Jason asked as Cass took him by the arm down the grungy sidewalk. “Former Assassins League, does Sunday brunch with the Suicide Squad, _that_ Bronze Tiger?”

“Yes. He was one of my teachers,” Cass said, stopping in front of a building. A few floors up was a large window with ‘Tiger Dojo’ scrawled on the glass. “He is retired now.”

“You mean _for_ now.”

“Be nice.”

The Tiger Dojo was accessible via an extremely rickety, squeaky elevator that sounded like it was laughing at whoever was fool enough to ride it. They arrived on the appropriate floor just as the last afternoon class was ending, children in white uniforms laughing and running past them to the stairs. 

Cass knocked politely on a half-open door that was plastered with brochures and flyers before entering. Jason followed suit and immediately tensed.

Jason wasn’t used to being made to feel small, but Bronze Tiger - Ben Turner, more accurately now - would have towered over even Bruce by a good few inches. He also looked like the sort who could casually bench cars without meta assistance, which was something for a guy who also had to be in his fifties.

Turner was in the middle of tidying the place when he noticed Cass. His eyes went wide, then sad at the sight of her.

“Didn’t think I’d be seeing _you_ here again.”

“Me neither.” Cass took the photo and held it out to him.

Turner took it, brow raised high. “Oh man. Does this take me back.”

“I did not realize that you knew her from so far back.”

“Yeah, well… it wasn’t for long.” Turner caught sight of Jason hovering in the doorway. “Who’s your friend? You need a chair for that leg, man?”

Jason glanced at his knee. He hadn’t thought he’d been telegraphing his injury that loudly.

“This is Jason. He’s my little brother.”

“There’s no proof of that,” Jason said, trying to walk in as straight as possible and shutting the door behind him. “So. You and Shiva were acquainted.”

Turner gave him a look Jason couldn’t quite read. “Like I said, it wasn’t much. She was out for blood, and the sensei was too old and too fond of her to give what she wanted. So she left.”

The man continued to put away the mats and sparring pads.

“It was a real shame. The old master loved those girls, even blamed himself for what happened. He was the one to make the arrangements for them to live in America, see. It broke his heart to see Sandra like that. And Carolyn gone.” Turner shook his head. “I didn’t know the full story, didn’t know about that deal she made until years later. That when she returned to Japan, it was right after giving birth to you.”

Cass had her arms crossed over her chest, eyes distant. “You learned when Cain asked for your help.”

“I’m ashamed of the man I was then. All three of us had lost our way, in different ways.” 

“Why did the sisters go to Detroit in the first place?” Jason asked.

“The way I understand it, the contact that helped the sisters escape their village was the same one that set them up with the Sensei. But they were worried about being betrayed or tracked and taken back to where they came from.” Turner cast his critical eye back on Jason. “I think I recognize you now. Talia al Ghul’s little protege, right?”

Jason’s fingers twitched for a gun that wasn’t there.

Turner laughed, deep but humorless. “I had to turn her down those years ago. Told her I was done training kids to be killers. Had to admit I wondered where she found you though. The papers be saying you’re her son, but -”

“I’m not.”

“Mm. Would’ve thought she’d send you to Shiva for teaching next.”

“I…” Jason snorted. “I asked about that. Talia said no.”

_‘But she’s the best!’_

_‘Being the best does not make her a competent teacher,’_ she’d said. _‘And I know what her mentorship costs.’_

God, he was an idiot.

“And what’s the damage there, boy?” Turner nodded at Jason’s knee.

“Broke it almost three months back. It’s pretty much healed.” 

“Good enough to go a round?”

“Are you serious?”

Cass was at full attention now, a slight scowl on her face. “Bad idea.”

“I’m not made of glass.” Jason appraised Turner, mapping the optimal locations for nerve strikes. “I think I could take you.”

This time when the man laughed it sounded genuine. “Tell you what: if it makes the little miss feel better, I’d like to see the two of you spar it out. Call it professional curiosity. And if I’m impressed, I’ll tell you about the latest known location of Lady Shiva.”

“How late is latest?”

“Heard she landed there last week. But I know she’s still in the area.”

Jason looked at Cass and nodded. She chewed her bottom lip. 

“... Ok.”

“If you go easy on me, I’ll be pissed.”

Everyone in the room knew how it would end - Jason could barely take Nightwing in a fair, open-handed fight. But even when he went down, he didn’t go down easy.

Standing in front of her like this made it clear that Cass was so much shorter than him. She was more flexible, so her kicks went higher, but with their heights he didn’t need to worry about a boot to the face unless she got a good jump on him. His solar plexus was in perfect range for her though. He also needed to be mindful of his wrists so she didn’t execute any holds on his weaker joints. His legs were longer, so keeping her at a distance was in his best interest. 

Cass’ first move was a blur, a quick and brutal strike for his core. Jason blocked on instinct before throwing a kick for her stomach. She locked an arm around his leg and thrust a palm strike to his chest, throwing his weight. He twisted mid-fall, wrapping her in a counter-hold and slamming her into the mat.

And that was when she punched him in the throat.

_Oh._ Okay then. 

He didn’t try to force his breath, just took slow and aching inhales as Cass rolled out of his grasp. He pulled to his feet barely in time to deflect the kick arcing at his chest. He swept his leg to knock her down but she saw it coming, _of course,_ and jumped to crack elbow end of her forearm across his face.

After that point Jason wasn’t sure what happened. He could see her aiming to give what would probably be a series of blows to his side. His mind told him that he should deflect or move back. 

What he actually did was bend his knee and move his injured leg into the path of her punch.

There was pain. A lot of pain. He didn’t know if the bone had rebroken, he didn’t even know if he could see straight anymore but it didn’t seem to matter. Cass had flinched hard, eyes wide and hands uselessly open in surprise. She didn’t see it coming when his palm hit her nose, or when he twisted her arm back to pin against the mat. 

There was a long moment when nobody moved.

Cass gave a wet sniffle.

“Jason?”

“Shit.” He rolled off her, hissing at the newly awakened pain in his leg. “Son of a- _fuck_ , ow.”

Cass hummed, calmly sitting upright and cupping her bleeding nose.

“Well look at that,” Turner said, handing Cass a small towel. “I’d say that was damn near nostalgic.”

He extended a hand to take Jason’s weight, helping him up and into a nearby chair.

“Adequate?” Jason asked, rolling up his pant leg to gauge the swelling.

“I’d say so,” Turner said. “Sometimes you don’t know what you’re doing, huh?” 

“ _Excuse_ me?”

“Ah, lemme rephrase. Sometimes your body reacts without you telling it to. Moves on an intuition you can’t predict. Right?”

“Oh. I guess.” Jason frowned. “Sometimes.”

Turner looked to Cass, who still seemed completely at peace and unbothered by her own injury.“And when he does that, you don’t see it coming.”

She shook her head. “If it surprises him, it surprises me.”

Turner nodded. “What’s your relationship like with your body, kid?”

Jason recoiled.

“My- how the _hell_ is that relevant?”

The older man gave Jason a patient look. “Because what you’ve got is a gift you done barely scratched the surface of, and since you’re no amateur, that tells me you spend a lot of time tied up in your head and not feeling your full self.”

Jason fought the urge to roll his eyes. The zen master schtick. Great.

“Not really one for meditation.”

“That’s a shame. Plenty of benefits to finding your center. Of course it can mean exploring things in you that you don’t like seeing. But that’s how a man learns, ain’t it?”

Jason checked to see if Cass was making anymore sense of this than he was. She was preoccupied with poking her bruised nose.

“Something in you saw what you had to do to win, took over and did it without your conscious mind’s say-so. That ain’t normal for you?”

“I’ve been told I have a suicidal fighting style, if that’s what you mean.”

“It can look like that sometimes,” Turner said, fishing little bags of ice from a mini fridge in the corner.. “I knew someone with a talent like yours. Came the closest anyone ever did to killing Lady Shiva.”

“So what happened?”

Turner chuckled tiredly, handing him a pack. “Ain’t that the question.”

“We made a deal,” Cass said nasally, carelessly pressing ice against her face.

“Her? Your mom’s just a short drive away,” Turner said. “Big fighting tourney up in Toronto. She’d never miss the chance to scope out the talent. I could save you some time - still have a contact or two that can fill me in on her lodging info.”

“That’d be great.” Jason stood up shakily, Cass immediately drifting to his side to steady him. 

“You sure you’re in the condition for it?” Turner asked. 

“We’re not going to get in her way or anything,“

“So long as she is only there to watch,” Cass added.

“It’s just to talk.” 

“Well then. I’ll do what I can, given what I owe your sister.” Turner held out the Sensei’s photograph.

“You don’t want it?”

“I’ve got enough reminders of the old days. Seems to me like you could use one,” Turner said. “Shiva and plenty of others would have you believing she was never human, but she is. And no matter how grateful she claims to be to Cain, she never could have hurt Carolyn. She would have chosen her over all of this. She still would.”

* * *

 

“I’m feeling like I ought to apologize.” Jason motioned at her nose, which was still bruised but no longer bleeding.

“We were sparring.” Cass shrugged, window down and letting the biting autumn afternoon air into the car. “Don’t be sorry.”

“I exploited the fact that you give a damn about me. All you’ve done this trip is watch my back,” Jason said. “It was a dick move. Lowercase.”

“You didn’t mean to.”

“Pfft. Yeah, _that_. It’s happened before, kind of. Blacking out and suddenly I’m the last one standing, losing control and just wrecking everything in sight… I thought it was the pit. I’m still not convinced it’s not.” Jason exhaled heavily. “It messed with me for a long time.”

“I know.”

“But I didn’t go through it entirely alone. Even after I left for Gotham I knew I could call on Talia for help. I’m just a proud bastard.”

“Do you… regret?” Cass asked carefully.

“What, the killing? Maybe if I’d had a clear head I’d have gone about everything a little differently. But my opinions are the same.” Jason shot her a furtive glance. “Sorry.”

Cass said nothing, only continuing to stare out the window. 

“Your new look should be black.”

“Oh for the love of - _this_ again.”

“Or very very dark grey.”

Jason pulled over on the side of the road.

“What are you doing?”

“It’s still a couple hours’ drive to Toronto, and the roads here are clear. You want to give it a shot?”

“I… I don’t drive,” she said. Then, more quietly, “Barbara always puts my bike on auto.”

“Well there’s no time like the present.” 

Jason unbuckled and got out, circling the car to climb in the passenger’s side. Cass had scooted her way into the driver’s seat, tentatively pressing buttons to adjust it for her shorter legs. Jason fixed the wheel height and tweaked the mirror.

“You see out the back?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Now you press on the brake peda - other one, yep - and shift into drive.”

Cass stared at the gear stick and Jason pointed at the notch labeled ‘D’. After a moment’s thought he also flipped the hazard lights on. Just in case.

The car lurched forward and made a wide arc into its proper lane on the road.

“You don’t have to turn the wheel that much. Good, now just stay on this side… speed limit’s 40, so you can accelerate a li- _whoa_ , okay-“

“Did he teach you to drive?” Cass asked, staring at the road with great intent.

“A little. Not on the open road or anything. He set up a little course to practice my parking and turns. I never got over 10 miles per hour.” Jason laughed nervously as they sloppily followed a bend in the road. “I was, uh. Going to test for my learner’s permit when I turned sixteen.”

“Barbara is going to teach me when I get better at reading the signs,” Cass said. “They just pass so fast, in a car. I don’t have time.”

“Right.”

“She says she can work on a software that will speak road information to me. I would like to be able to help drive her places.”

“Well driving in the city is a different matter, but I’d say a practical approach is always, uh,” Jason glanced back. “That was a stop sign.”

“Oh! Color and shape. I will remember.”

“You do that.”

* * *

 

It was past nightfall when they were breaching the metropolitan area. It was also when Jason’s phone started ringing. Unknown number.

“Hello?”

_“You two have no idea what kind of trouble you’re in.”_

Ohh. 

_“Three days. Do you have any idea what we’ve all been going through?”_ Even with the distortion Oracle sounded pissed.

“I bought this disposable phone less than twelve hours ago, and have received only one five-minute call on it since. I know you’re good Oracle, but this is just not human.”

_“Your dearest aunt gave you up, Jason. We know you’re in Toronto. I’ve got your rental. And Batman should have_ you _in 3, 2 -_ “

There was the sudden, unmistakable echo of the stratosphere being brutalized by the Batplane.

“This is unlawful, unwarranted arrest,” Jason said, stepping on the gas.

_“This is parenting. Speaking of, put Cassandra on the phone.”_

Cass was furiously shaking her head.

_“I know she’s there, I saw her on the traffic cams. Cass, you and I are going to have a very long talk when you get home, and it ends with your suit in a vault until the New Year. I can’t believe-”_

Jason hung up and tossed the phone out the window. 

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Okay, so the clan knew where they were. Capture was inevitable. But whether it happened before or after the mission was complete was still up to them.

“You need to go,” Cass said.

“What?”

Cass unbuckled her seatbelt. “Find Shiva. I’ll take the car and slow them down for you.”

“Cass, you don’t know how to drive! And-” he looked around. “and we’re in _Canada_!”

She smiled, wide and slow. “Practical experience is best.”

At the next red light Jason was out of the car and barreling down the sidewalk, navigating the highlighted route from the GPS he had hastily memorized. His bag was still in the car. He was unarmed, with a leg that was screaming profanities at him, but it didn’t matter. He’d come too far to give up or get caught before the finish.

When the hotel emerged he could feel the accelerated pace of his heart through his knee. The doorman gave him a bewildered look as he pushed into the lobby, straight for the elevator. 

He furiously caught his breath as he ascended to Shiva’s floor. Unless Batman was somehow waiting for him up there, he had to have made it. He just needed ten, five minutes with the woman. 

Jason could hack a key card lock in his sleep, but by the time he arrived at the right door it was already open.

It was a strange thing. Now that he was here, he actually found himself hesitating. He couldn’t stifle the feeling that if he crossed that threshold, nothing would ever be the same again. But he had to.

Jason swallowed, took a breath, and stepped inside. He shut the door behind him and heard it lock with a final _click_. The suite was sparse, barely lived in despite have been so for the past week.

“You’re taller than I might have expected.” Jason jumped. 

Lady Shiva was reclining on the chaise lounger, dressed in a black silk robe. 

“You were quite underweight, you see. Born too soon after your sister. I’m told it’s unwise to have two children in the same year.”

She looked like Cass. Older, with sharper features. Crueler eyes and lips. But the same nose, same overall shape of the face. 

Jason’s throat was tight.

“Nothing to say? You’ve traveled so far.” Shiva picked up a cup of tea from the coffee table. “You’re too injured to fight, so I suppose you’re here to rage about my deception. Or perhaps to ask about your father-“

“I don’t care about that.”

Shiva paused, head tilted.

“Oh?”

“I don’t need to guess why you gave me up. It’s obvious you didn’t actually want me or Cass. And I don’t give a damn about who sired me,” Jason said, trying to keep his voice steady. “But you didn’t just hand me off to someone else. You _forgot_ about me. And it doesn’t make sense.”

Shiva assessed him with something like mild interest. “Do tell.”

“Your ‘mother’ back at the village. She called me a spare. But I’m not, am I?” Jason asked, taking a step forward. “You didn’t save me for later. Didn’t keep tabs. You dropped me in Gotham and never looked back.”

“Perhaps I simply had no use for you.”

“It’s a little uncharacteristic for someone who’s trying so hard to fulfill her death wish.” Jason took a steadying breath. “So who was he. Willis Todd.”

“No one in great particular. Some sort of informant dealing intelligence on various criminal factions. Had accumulated a rather impressive list of contacts, which I’m guessing is how you found me the first time. My own contact referred me to him,” Shiva said. “Gotham is an easy place to hide an unwanted child. Todd was to transfer you and make it untraceable.”

“Why.”

“There were several reasons, not the least of which being Cain and his obsession with my genetics. He wasn’t going to tolerate any potential threat or rival to his precious project,” Shiva said. “But as I said, you were unwell and moving you was delayed. In that time the back alley doctor Todd was using had to flee the country, and his new wife took a shine to you. I hear certain women have a weakness for pitiful things.”

Jason shook his head. “Wait, wait. Sheila Haywood. Was she the doctor?”

“Blonde. White woman. She delivered you and falsified your papers, as well as briefly monitored you to see if you would survive infancy. From what I understand she was also engaged in darker affairs, tending to the wounds of the deranged creatures who swarm your city like flies.”

“And then you left me there.”

“I was interested to see who you would become on your own. A nature versus nurture experiment, if you’d like.” The corner of Shiva’s mouth twitched into a brief smile. “I’m pleased. You have a cord of destiny leading you.”

“I died _._ ” Jason snapped, hands clenched at his sides. “I came to you and you lied to me and I _died_.”

“Death hardly held you for long. How was I to predict that you would pay the price for your elders’ dalliances with a madman?” Shiva shrugged airily. “I admit, I was disappointed.”

“Disappointed.”

“I was quite eager to see whether you would ripen under the Bat’s mentorship. For you to die in that manner was a shame,” Shiva said. “But a stroke of fate brought you back to my attention.”

“What are you talking about?” 

He was growing more and more done with this conversation, but like a car wreck he couldn’t stop watching. Couldn’t stop himself from wanting to see how all the carnage ended.

“Whenever one of the world’s masters of the lethal arts is killed, I know about it. You felled three in four months.”

Jason faltered. His teachers. The combatants and swordsmen and mercenaries he’d killed after learning all he needed.

“You noticed.”

“Of course. I had to meet the young boy who was leaving a trail of such distinguished bodies,” Shiva said. “And you were looking for tutors. It seemed so fortuitous.”

“Talia said no.” Jason closed his hands tighter to stop the shaking. “But that wouldn’t have stopped you.”

“You are a clever boy at least, aren’t you?” Shiva said pleasantly. “And you have the talent. I suppose I’m not ashamed to have made you.”

“What about Talia?” Jason insisted. “She told you to back off and you did. Why.”

“I would have done so anyway, for a while. You were young still. There was time. But then al Ghul did something I did not expect.” Shiva peered at Jason curiously. “She called in the debt she had been saving for over twenty-five years. All on account of you.”

Jason blinked. “I don’t understand.”

“Arrogant little princess, but I give credit where it’s due. Even as a child she saw an opportunity worth exploiting. On my honor I owed her any single request, and it was sparing you.” Shiva made a dismissive hand motion, like the whole situation was beyond her understanding. “Another game she was playing with the Batman, I thought. I accepted her dismissal and told her to make you worthy. Has she?”

Jason couldn’t answer. He couldn’t say anything, he could barely even think. But Shiva just kept going.

“I was proud enough to hear of the inconvenience you caused the Bat. It’s just the guns, really. You defile your own craft with them,” Shiva leaned back, eyes scanning him in a way that was too reminiscent of Cass. “But still, I can see… traces of your father. There may be a dragon in you yet.”

Jason wasn’t even looking at her anymore. There was a hollowness in his chest.

“He was someone to you, wasn’t he,” he said, his voice rough. “Not like Cain. It wasn’t just business.”

The tight smile slipped from Shiva’s face. Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

“You should take care of what you assume.”

Jason returned her gaze. “Well I was raised by a detective. Making assumptions is part of what I do.”

Shiva’s nails left indentation marks in the chaise leather. “Your father is going to die by my hand, or I by his. He cannot insult me by trying to outrun the truth. It is our destiny.”

“Sounds like the kind of guy you could have used me to gain leverage over,” Jason said. “Forced him to kill you by threatening me. The thought never crossed your mind?”

If looks could kill, Jason would be getting reacquainted with Death right now.

“You could be forgiven for thinking many things about me, fledgling,” Shiva said slowly. “But let one that is true be this: your mother is a woman of honor.” 

“Well. At least that’s something.”

Jason had nothing left to say. He opened his mouth, closed it. Turned and walked out of the hotel room without looking back.  He rode the elevator down and passed back through the lobby in a daze, moving automatically through the doors and into the cold, blustery street. 

A sleek black car pulled up in front of him on the curb and he climbed in without a second thought. It took him downtown, stopping in front of the Toronto LexCorp building. 

* * *

 

Talia had her back to him, standing before a floor-to-ceiling wall of windows. Beyond it the city lights glimmered and cast sparks across the water.

“Your father has parked his aircraft upstairs,” she said, her voice steady but sounding almost raw. “He’s waiting most impatiently to collect you.”

“I’ve got nowhere else to run,” Jason said. “I found what I was looking for.”

“Did you.”

The air between them felt like thin glass, sharp and fragile. 

“I figured you would know. I just didn’t realize how _much_.” Jason stepped further into the office. “You thought Shiva’s village would scare me off. It almost worked. You knew that if I dug any deeper than that I’d find out what you did.”

“I should have known better than to bet against your stubbornness,” Talia said. “My error.”

“You’re the one who smuggled Shiva and her sister to Japan. But they didn’t trust you not to double-cross and fled to Detroit.”

“It was of no consequence. What was done was done. Sandra Wu-San was to be the most dangerous combatant in the world, and I had her in my debt when she was still a girl.”

“You were a child too.”

“I have never been a child.” Talia turned from the window, her face a careful display of cold neutrality. “If you think I betrayed my father and made you mine for the mere sake of having another pawn, you are a poor detective indeed.”

“Shiva managed to avoid the League until Cain found her. And when she got pregnant with me, she called you again, right? Were you the contact that told her to stash me in Gotham?”

“It was a mistake,” Talia said softly. “I made a mistake, Jason.”

“You had eyes on me from the second I was born. When Todd died, when my mom got sick, when I was on the _streets_ \- what did you think? That oh, isn’t it so _convenient_ that Shiva’s bastard is probably going to freeze some night and we won’t have to worry about him being any kind of threat -“

“You weren’t anything to me then,” Talia said like an apology. “Shiva was a wild card. Cain’s carefully crafted and controlled experiment had rebelled. Your father was untouchable. Killing you would have provoked her wrath and it was… a sound decision. To let you live or die in obscurity.”

“But I didn’t.”

“No. You have always had a destiny, Jason. When I found you alive I knew it was my sacred duty to do right by you.”

“By lying to me. Still, always fucking lying to me!” Jason shouted. “I’ve trusted you more than _anyone_! And I never expected you to tell me everything but _god_ , Talia-“

“Your fixation with replacing the maternal figure you lost is what has yet again led you around the globe, chasing phantoms!  Better to send you to the Cradle so you could see with your own eyes what sort of creature Shiva is before you threw yourself at her feet.” Talia snapped. “I was trying to protect you from yourself! From a woman who would have exploited your weakness!”

“Because you’ve got the monopoly on that, right?” Jason said with a sneer. “Couldn’t have some _other_ assassin wrapping me around her finger, could you?”

The silence was icy. Talia’s eyes were like stone.

“Have I not given you everything?”

Jason felt a weight drop into the pit of his stomach. He swallowed dryly.  Talia  approached him steady and slow, like he was a cornered animal.

“You want me to confess to manipulating you? Yes. Of course I have. As you have used me in turn. What does it change? Sandra Wu-San cares for nothing but her own crusade. Her most esteemed daughter is but an afterthought, you an inconvenience. _I_ wanted you. _I_ fought on your behalf. Is it not enough? Have I not had your best interests at heart?”

Jason inhaled deeply, his breath shakier than he’d hoped. Talia took this as permission to move another two paces forward, resting her hands on his shoulders.

“There is more to your strength than either Batman or Shiva can comprehend. You have exceeded all of my hopes.”

He scoffed, avoiding her gaze. “You mean of being your son’s flunky?”

“There is much you could have taught him,” Talia said, almost wistful. “Time will yet tell what sort of man Damian becomes. Regardless, it was only a passing notion.”

“I bet.”

“More than anything, my motivations were not of exploitation or guilt, Jason. It was love. All I am is my love for my family.”

* * *

 

The Batplane was parked on the roof’s landing platform, its engines already whirring. The walkway lowered for Jason as he approached, Batman silhouetted against the light in the entrance.

For a long moment they just stood before one another.

“You were gone three days.” His voice was stern and barely restrained, like warning thunder.

“Yeah.”

“You could have been hurt.”

“I had Cass.”

Batman’s shoulder’s tightened like they did when he was frustrated.

“Do you have no idea how difficult this was for us?” He demanded. “How it felt to have no clue where you were?”

“It felt like history repeating, probably.” Jason was too tired to properly fight. “I had to. I couldn’t wait. Sorry.”

Some of the tension seemed to drain away. Batman looked at Jason’s leg.

“Dr. Thompkins will see what the damage is tomorrow. It doesn’t look broken but you probably need crutches again.” 

“Probably.”

Batman hesitated a moment.

“Are you alright?”

Jason shook his head minutely. “Not really. Not right now. But I’ll be fine.”

“It’s a lot to take in,” Batman said. “If you… should you desire help finding your father -“

“There’s no need,” Jason said, looking up into the white lenses of the cowl. “I know where my father is.”

“Oh.” Batman cleared his throat. “Well, when you’ve recovered, you can of course access whatever resources or vehicles you need to make conta-“

Jason put his face in his hands, huffing out a tired laugh.

“Unbelievable. What I get for trying to have a moment.” He brushed past him and into the plane. “Just get us home, old man.”

Sat in the one of the passengers’ seats of the plane was Cass, a notable bruise marring her forehead. Jason stopped short.

“Damn. What happened to you?” 

“Crashed into a fountain. On one of the,” she made a circular motion with her finger.

“Roundabouts?”

“Yes.”

“Well look at you, Tokyo Drift.” Jason took a seat beside her.

“How did it go?” Cass asked, taking his hand. “With our mother?”

Jason shrugged.

“I don’t know. I had a mom once, and she’s gone. I wanted so much to save her, or have something like her back…” He shook his head. “but it’s over.”

“And Talia?”

Jason laughed hollowly. “I can’t really stay mad at her. I should, but I can’t. Not after everything. And fucked up as it can all be, I know she does care in her own way. Call me a sucker.”

“No. I understand,” Cassandra said. “Shiva is blood, but family is different. Barbara gave me everything. And then there’s Him.”

“Yeah.” Jason sighed. “Him.”

“If it were him who lied about your mother. Would you forgive?”

He didn’t need to say anything when she could read it all in his posture. Jason's heart had been shattered so many times over on account of Bruce, and yet here he was on a plane back to his damn house.

_I wanted to hate him forever and I can’t._

Sentimental, emotional, weak. All the things Talia and Shiva could name in him so easily were true.

Cass rested her head on his shoulder, giving him a closer look at the bruise.

“You must’ve really been tearing through town.”

“There was a helicopter. I made news.”

“So by this time tomorrow the tabloids will have a hold of Cassandra Wayne’s Canadian joyride.” Jason rubbed his eyes. “This fucking family. Better to be arrested by Batman than foreign police, I guess.”

“I would prefer police to Oracle.”

“We’re in big trouble, huh?”

“She is going to take my costume. You don’t even have one to lose.”

“Not yet.” Jason cast her a sideways glance.

Cass’ eyes brightened. 

“Really?”

“I figure after all this I owe you. I’m sure by the time we’re free it’ll be finished.” He buckled his seatbelt as the plane began to lift. “...You weren't serious about the helmet with bat ears, right?”

**Author's Note:**

> The background I've assembled for Shiva is cobbled from a combination of her pre-crisis history, plus her appearances in Batgirl (2000), Birds of Prey (1999) and Richard Dragon (2011). Obviously additional liberties were taken.
> 
> As always, I'm lanternwisp on tumblr :)


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